For the Ponte Vedra boys soccer team, the only looks that mattered were on the scoreboard: 1-0 over Bishop Kenny in a Class 3A regional quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

Ben Fredericks scored the match’s lone goal seven minutes into action, a strike from directly in front of the goal off a centering pass from Michael Lee.

The early goal was an aberration, a fluke in terms of how the game had gone to that point. The Crusaders dominated possession throughout the first half and had multiple scoring chances barely miss wide and high of the goal, keeping the Sharks (20-3-4) on their heels.

“They were working hard to keep us off our game, but it’s hard to describe what exactly kept us from clicking on offense,” Fredericks said. “Some of it was people freaking out on defense and we weren’t able to get as much possession as we’re used to. It was an ugly game, but in the end all I care about is ending up with more points than the other side.”

Although it finished the night with roughly similar shot attempts on goal — Bishop Kenny with seven, Ponte Vedra five — they were labored attempts, sometimes coming off of booming goal kicks from keeper Kevin Shields that had a lucky bounce ending on the foot of a Ponte Vedra forward.

“Our first touch caused us a lot of problems all night,” Sharks coach Daniel Villareal said. “We had trouble getting stuff out of our end of the field, but lucky for us, it didn’t cost us.”

Even after taking the lead, Ponte Vedra seemed intent on giving it back.

On more than one occasion a blocked Bishop Kenny shot would lie motionless in front of the net as Shields found himself far out of position from his save attempt, needing a desperate clearance from a Sharks defender to escape the situation without any damage.

“I told them at halftime, we had to do a better job getting on that second ball,” Villareal said.

“We’d get a stop, and then we just stand around and look at the ball instead of getting on it. Reacting in that spot is crucial, and we did a lot of looking.”

But clear the ball they did, much in thanks to a spirited performance by defender Michael Parado.

Parado, along with his fellow defensemen, stayed busy keeping the net clear.

The action in between stoppages and free kicks kept to the tone of the match — heated. Emotions ran high in the contest, as any elimination game would provide. Corey Johnson received a yellow card for bringing down a Bishop Kenny player from behind on a breakaway, in all likelihood saving yet another scoring threat.

On the very next Ponte Vedra possession, Crusaders defenseman TJ Devenney drew a yellow for his own overly ambitious tackle on an opposing midfielder.

Even the fans got caught up in the atmosphere. Midway through the first half, a spectator was ejected from the game for harassing officials, literally stopping the game in its tracks, only to be resumed after the man was escorted off the premises by a police officer.

With the margin so thin and the stakes so high, an occasional outburst is to be expected.

“They’re still kids. Emotion can get out of hand in a game like this. Everybody’s playing with the knowledge that this may be the last game of his career,” Villareal said. “At the end of the day we do have to do a better job of keeping those emotions in check, but they are still young.”

Ponte Vedra moves on to face Creekside in the region semifinals on Saturday, the fourth pairing this season between the two teams. The Knights dispatched Stanton on the road 3-0.

The last meeting could not have been any closer. The Sharks topped the Knights in the District 4-3A title game 2-1 in double-overtime, with a late goal by Conner Little giving Ponte Vedra the district title.

But now the stakes will be raised. Last week they played for a district title, but not their season. Now a win gets one team to the region finals and ends the season of their closest rival.

“We have to keep playing hard, keep putting the pressure on them like we did all season,” Fredericks said. “Coming here we have to make sure that they never get comfortable, it’s going to be one of those games again.”